Section 1 — Why China Kept Building Walls Most international travelers meet the Great Wall near Beijing. Elaine and I went farther west, to Yanmenguan in Shanxi — one of China’s great northern mountain passes. Standing there made me ask a much bigger question: why did Chinese states and dynasties keep building walls along the northern frontier for more than two thousand years? Everyone knows: The Great Wall of China — 长城...
Section 1 — From Xi’an to Yuncheng: Another Rabbit Hole Across the Yellow River Travel northeast from Xi’an into Yuncheng and Chinese history does something slightly strange. Instead of asking you to remember another emperor or another battle, it asks a much older question: what makes someone a good ruler — or even a good person? After traveling through Hancheng (韩城), Elaine and I continued into another historically extraordinary part of northern China:...
One Small City. Several Very Different Chinas. Xi’an gives first-time travelers some enormous names. Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇. Terracotta Warriors 兵马俑. Han 汉. Tang 唐. Hancheng is different. It doesn’t hit you with one gigantic headline attraction. Instead, this smaller city northeast of Xi’an quietly opens several doors into completely different layers of Chinese history. Dad & Elaine came because of one man: Sima Qian (司马迁, Sīmǎ Qiān). Then Hancheng started adding...
Just a Few Hours From Beijing, Walk Into One of the Great Bronze Age Capitals of the Ancient World Beijing can easily consume an entire first trip to China. The: Forbidden City. Great Wall. Temple of Heaven. Summer Palace. Ming. Qing. Imperial China everywhere. But Dad has another slightly dangerous suggestion. 😂 TAKE THE TRAIN SOUTH. From Beijing, high-speed rail can bring you to: Anyang (安阳, Ānyáng) in Henan Province (河南省, Hénán...
We stopped overnight in Handan on our way from Beijing toward the UNESCO ruins of ancient Shang at Anyang. We visited Congtai, took our photographs and continued south. Only later did I realize just how badly I had underestimated this city. 😂 This Deep China story begins with a confession. When Elaine and I visited: Handan — 邯郸 (Hándān) we weren’t making a great historical pilgrimage to the ancient State of Zhao....
Section 1 — You Came to Jinan for the Springs. Good Place to Start. Take the: high-speed train (高铁, gāotiě) south from: Beijing (北京, Běijīng) and before long you can be in: Jinan (济南, Jǐnán), capital of: Shandong Province (山东省, Shāndōng Shěng). For a first-time international traveler, Jinan may not have the instant name recognition of: Beijing, Xi’an or: Shanghai. But ask many Chinese travelers what Jinan is famous for and one...
Five Stops, Five Big Questions — A China History Journey Through Jinan, Mount Tai, Qufu, Linzi and Dezhou Section 1 — We Left Beijing Looking for Shandong. Then the Museum Gave Us a Map Through Chinese History. For many first-time international travelers, a China trip begins with: Beijing (北京, Běijīng). And that’s a very good place to begin. The: Forbidden City (故宫, Gùgōng) shows you imperial power. The: Temple of Heaven (天坛,...
Section 1 — You Came to Climb a Mountain. Emperors Came for Something Much Bigger. Take the train south from: Beijing (北京, Běijīng) toward: Tai’an (泰安, Tài’ān) in: Shandong (山东, Shāndōng), and one mountain begins dominating the historical landscape: Mount Tai (泰山, Tàishān). For modern travelers, the attraction is obvious. A famous mountain. Ancient stairways. Temples. Stone inscriptions. Sunrise from the summit. And: a serious amount of climbing. 😂 难如登天 (nán rú...
Section 1 — You Came to Dezhou. Look in TWO Directions. By the time Dad & Elaine reached: Dezhou (德州, Dézhōu), our Shandong journey had already become rather complicated. 😂 At: Mount Tai (泰山, Tàishān) we asked about: Heaven (天, tiān) and imperial legitimacy. At: Qufu (曲阜, Qūfù) we met: Confucius (孔子, Kǒngzǐ) and asked how ideas became institutions. At: Linzi (临淄, Línzī) we entered the world of: Qi (齐国, Qí Guó)...
Section 1 — You Learned About Confucius in Qufu. Now Meet the People Who Disagreed With Him. Take our Shandong journey from: Qufu (曲阜, Qūfù) toward modern: Zibo (淄博, Zībó), and specifically: Linzi (临淄, Línzī). Today: 临淄 is a district of Zibo. But more than two thousand years ago, this was something much bigger: the capital of Qi (齐国, Qí Guó). 🔥 And this is where Dad wants the first-time China traveler...
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